legendary

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ən.dɹi/, /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ən.də.ɹi/ (UK); /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənˌdɛɹ.i/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin legendarius (“relating to legends; a collection of saints' lives”),^[2][3][4] from legenda (“things to be read”) (see legend), from legere (“to read”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a noun, a collection of legends, especially of saints' lives: 1513 in the OED, the 1510s in Etymonline.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective, of the nature of a legend, it is from 1563–87, about 1587 in MWU.^[6][3] A writer of legends was a legendary in 1625.^[6] The meaning very famous, celebrated as if in legend, is a modern sense.^[7][8] In numismatics, legendary refers to the inscription on a coin (1830).^[6]

Timeline

• 1513 – a collection of legends.^[6]
• c. 1587 – of the nature of a legend.^[3][6]
• 1830 – of a coin's inscription.^[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Described in or based on legends.
2. Very famous; celebrated: a legendary guitarist.

Noun

1. A collection of legends, especially of saints' lives.

Word family

• legendarily
• prelegendary
• pseudolegendary

Related words

• legend
• lecture
• lectern
• legible

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin